Stop device for snowmobile steering mechanism

ABSTRACT

The disclosure herein describes a stop device for limiting the angular displacement of a snowmobile ski leg which comprises a collar fixedly secured to the lower portion of the ski leg housing and a projecting element extending from the lower portion of the ski leg and having one extremity extending through an opening in the collar. The opposite sides of the opening define the limits of the angular displacement of the ski leg.

United States Patent [191 [111 1 3,825,086

Bombardier July 23, 1974 STOP DEVICE FOR SNOWMOBILE [56] References Cited STEERING MECHANISM UNITED STATES PATENTS [75] Inventor: Jerome Bombardier, Valcourt, 3,379,455 4/1968 Dahlstrom 289/89 Quebec, Canada 3,550,706 12/1970 Watkins 180/5 R Assigneei Bombardier Limited, valcourt, 3,608,658 9/1971 Woodfill 180/5 R Quebec Canada I Primary Examiner-Richard}. Johnson [22] Filed: Dec. 21, 1972 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Larson, Taylor and Hinds 21 A 1. No.: 317 274 r t 1 pp p 57 ABSTRACT The disclosure herein describes a stop device for limit- .[30] Forelgn Apphcanon Pnomy Data ing the angular displacement of a snowmobile ski leg Dec. 15, 1972 Canada 159157 which comprisesa collar fixedly Secured to the lower 1 portion of the ski leg housing and aprojecting element. [52] US. Cl. 180/5 R, 280/21 R, 280/95 R, extending from the lower portion of the Ski leg and 280/89 having one extremity extending through an opening in 3 the collar. The opposite sides of the opening define the'limits of the angular displacement of the ski leg. 280/21 R, 16, 103, 89, 94, 95

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures STOP DEVICE FOR SNOWMOBILE STEERING MECHANISM This invention relates generally to snowmobile steering assemblies and, more particularly, to a stop device for limiting the angular displacement of the ski leg of a snowmobile.

Until now, the limits of angular displacement of steering skis on snowmobiles have been obtained by mounting, adjacent the lower end of the steering column and upstream of the ski leg linking assembly, a plate or bracket, the displacement of which is confined between two stoppers fixed to the frame of the vehicle. A disadvantageof such an arrangement is that any hard impact received on the skis during travel is transmitted via the ski legs to the linking assembly which consists mainly of tie-rods interconnected at-their extremities by means of ball-joint arrangements. It has been observed that this type of connection cannot resist the severe shocks which are normally received during the use of a snowmobile. This results in hazardous driving: if a ball-joint or tie-rod fails, thereis no longer direct connection between the steering column and the ski. With snowmobiles having a single centrally disposed ski, failure in the linking assembly often results in having the ski being disposed in an axis not coinciding with that of snowmobile displacement and subsequent capsizing of the snowmobile. Similar capsizing results in snowmobiles steered by a pair of skis, as soon asparallelism between skis is no longer existent It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide on a snowmobile steering mechanism a stop device which will overcome the above disadvantage. This is achieved by providing on the ski leg itself rather than on the steeringcolumn a stop device which absorbs the impact received on the skis thereby avoiding the impact from being transmitted directly to thelinking assembly.

The present invention therefore relates to a stop device for limiting the angular displacement of a snowmobile ski leg pivotally mounted in a ski leg housing, which comprises collar means fixedly secured to the lower portion of the ski leg housing, an opening being provided through the collar means, anda projecting element extending from the lower portion of the ski leg and having one extremity extending through the opening in the collar means, the opposite sides of the opening defining the limits of the angular displacement of the ski leg.

Other objects, purposes and characteristic features of the present invention will be in part obvious from the accompanying drawings, and in part pointed out as the description of the invention progresses. In describing the invention in detail, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which: r

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view illustrating a snowmobile ski and its connection to the steering column;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the linking assembly of the steering mechanism as seen from lines 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view as seen from lines 5-5 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a ski 10 mounted underneath the front end portion 12 of a snowmobile (not shown); the ski 10 includes a runner l4 and a leaf spring arrangement 16 pivotally connected by means of a bracket 18 to the lower end of a ski leg 20. There are usually two of these skis mounted in laterally spaced relation supporting the' front end of the snowmobile body; however, some snowmobiles are steered with only one ski, centrally disposed at the front thereof.

Each ski leg 20,20 is linked to thesteerin'g column 22 by means of a linking assembly, one example of which is illustrated in FIG. 2 and denoted as 24. The steering column 22 is supported at its lower end to a transverse frame member 26 of the snowmobile and is capable of rotation in relation therewith by means of a bushing. 28. The linking assembly 24 consists of a bracket 29, two tie-rods 30 and 32 and two steering arms 34 and 36. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the short tie-rod 30 has one end 30 pivotally connected to bracket 29 and the opposite end 30" pivotally connected to the connection of the rod 32 with the steering arm 34. Theopposite end of rod 32 is pivotally connected to the other steering arm 36. Each steering arm 34,36 is pivotally connected to the transverse member 26 and is directly connected to the ski legs 20,20. As an example, another arrangement of a linking assembly consists of two tie-rods (similar to tie-rod 30) having acommon end 30 connected to bracket 29 and their opposite ends 30" respectively connected to the extremities of the steering arms 34 and 36. As illustrated, the connection of the tie-rods 30,32 with the steering arms 34,36 as well as the steering arms 34,36

screws, which are limited as far as absorbing hard impact. Prior to this invention the angular movement of the bracket 29 was limited by means of stoppers (not shown) provided on the frame member 26 on either side of the steering column. Therefore, any hard impact on the skis'was absorbed by the linking assembly as well as by the stoppers resulting in frequent failure at the connecting points of the linking assembly.

The present invention provides a stop device which is upstream of the linking assembly with respect to the impact transmitted by the skis. Referring to FIGS. 3 5, the stp device consists in first providing adjacent the lower end of the ski leg housing 40, a collar or plate 42 which is weldedor otherwise fixed thereto. A bushing 44 centrally locates the ski leg in housing 40 while allowing rotational movement of the ski leg therein. Housing 40 is fixedby welding or otherwise to the snowmobile frame 12; a reinforcing plate 46 may be provided for strengthening the connection of the ski leg housing to the frame of the snowmobile. An elongate I arcuate opening or slot 48 is provided on collar 42. The

stop device further includes a projecting element or finger 50 extending away from the lower end of the ski leg and beneath the collar 42. One extremity 51 of element 50 projects through the slot 48. In a preferred form of 1 the invention, element 50 is-integrally mounted at the frontward section of the enlarged bottom portion 21 of the ski leg 20, which further includes on opposite lateral sides thereof two integral extensions 52 and 54 serving to support bracket 18 of the ski assembly 10.

, 3 The opposite sides 56 and '58 of slot '48 define the limits for the angular displacement of the ski leg and are shaped to uniformly distribute on the collar 42 the loads received as a. result of hard impact on the skis.

Althoughthe invention has been described above in relation to one specific form of the invention, it will be evident to persons skilled in the art to refine and modify the present invention in various ways. For instance,

opening 48 does not necessarily need be a slot since the front portion 60 thereof could be omitted. It is therefore wished to have it understood that the present invention is not limited in interpretation except by the terms of the following claims.

I claim:

I. In a snowmobile having a steering mechanism including at least one ski leg pivotally mounted in a ski leg housing, a stop device for limiting the angular displacement of the ski leg comprising: in combination, collar means fixedly secured tothe lower portion of the ski leg housing, said collar means projecting outwardly from the ski leg housing and being provided with an opening; and a projecting element extending outwardly from said lower portion of the ski leg and having a bent outer extremity extending vertically through said open ing; said opening having opposite sides defining limits for the angular displacement of said ski leg.

2. In a snowmobile as defined in claim 1 wherein said projecting element is integrally mounted to the lower portion of said ski leg and extends frontwardly thereof; said element extending beneath said collar means and 4 protruding upwardly'throu gh said opening 3. In a snowmobile as defined in claim 1 wherein said opening is an arcuate slot.

4. In a snowmobile as defined in. claim 1, said projecting element fixed to the ski leg below the ski leg housing, said bent outer extremity extending upwardly through said opening.

5. In a snowmobile, a steering mechanism for steering a pivotally mounted ski assembly comprising: in combination, a steering column; a ski leg having one end pivotally connected to said ski assembly; a linking assembly connecting the lower portion of the steering column to the other end of said ski leg; a housing fixedly sccured to the frame of said snowmobile and receiving said ski leg therein; a stop device for limiting the angular displacement of said ski assembly including a collar means fixedly secured to the lower end of said ski housing, said collar means being provided with an opening therein; and a projecting element means integrally mounted to the lower portion of said ski leg and extending away therefrom and beneath said collar means, said element having one extremity protruding upwardly through said opening; said opening having opposite sides defining limits for the angular displacement of said projecting element whereby hard impact exerted on said ski assembly is taken up by said collar means rather than by said linking assembly.

6. In a snowmobile as'defined in claim 5 wherein said opening is an arcuate slot. 

1. In a snowmobile having a steering mechanism including at least one ski leg pivotally mounted in a ski leg housing, a stop device for limiting the angular displacement of the ski leg comprising: in combination, collar means fixedly secured to the lower portion of the ski leg housing, said collar means projecting outwardly from the ski leg housing and being provided with an opening; and a projecting element extending outwardly from said lower portion of the ski leg and having a bent outer extremity extending vertically through said opening; said opening having opposite sides defining limits for the angular displacement of said ski leg.
 2. In a snowmobile as defined in claim 1 wherein said projecting element is integrally mounted to the lower portion of said ski leg and extends frontwardly thereof; said element extending beneath said collar means and protruding upwardly through said opening.
 3. In a snowmobile as defined in claim 1 wherein said opening is an arcuate slot.
 4. In a snowmobile as defined in claim 1, said projecting element fixed to the ski leg below the ski leg housing, said bent outer extremity extending upwardly through said opening.
 5. In a snowmobile, a steering mechanism for steering a pivotally mounted ski assembly comprising: in combination, a steering column; a ski leg having one end pivotally connected to said ski assembly; a linking assembly connecting the lower portion of the steering column to the other end of said ski leg; a housing fixedly secured to the frame of said snowmobile and receiving said ski leg therein; a stop device for limiting the angular displacement of said ski assembly including a collar means fixedly secured to the lower end of said ski housing, said collar means being provided with an opening therein; and a projecting element means integrally mounted to the lower portion of said ski leg and extending away therefrom and beneath said collar means, said element having one extremity protruding upwardly through said opening; said opening having opposite sides defining limits for the angular displacement of said projecting element whereby hard impact exerted on said ski assembly is taken up by said collar means rather than by said linking assembly.
 6. In a snowmobile as defined in claim 5 wherein said opening is an arcuate slot. 